High school math: algebra, geometry, trigonometry, calculus. Are your palms sweaty yet? Feel a little dizzy?
Most people are more than a little afraid of the advanced levels of math that students encounter in high school. Say goodbye to simple addition. Say hello to complex proofs.
But learning high school math doesn’t have to be scary. Check out the apps below for some inventive, challenging, and fun applications for practicing and mastering these more advanced math concepts.
Algebra Touch is exactly what it sounds like: an app that lets you manipulate algebraic equations through touchscreen technology. Want to isolate the variable? Touch and drag X’s and Y’s to either side of an equation and see what you get. Want to eliminate like terms? Draw lines through them and they go away. Algebra Touch covers all levels of algebra, from beginner to advanced. Prepopulate lessons or design your own equations.
Details: $2.99, available on iOS.
Brainscape is a unique, neuroscience-based app designed to gather input from students in order to create a study system tailored to each individual. Brainscape asks how well you know a topic and uses your responses to craft a unique timing sequence for studying various subjects. Brainscape’s flashcard function is especially useful, allowing students to create their own flashcards to use for review. Brainscape also offers its own expert study information on a host of subjects, including high school mathematics.
Details: Free, available on iOS.
Khan Academy offers an incredible array of learning videos for nearly every subject. This app compiles a host of instructive videos about pre-calculus. Khan Academy lessons are taught by some of the most creative and innovative thinkers in the world. All videos are free and readily available to the public.
Details: Free, available on iOS.
One of the core foundations of all mathematics is remembering and understanding formulas. This easy-to-navigate app gathers all the standard formulas for algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and more into one single program. Having trouble remembering the quadratic formula? Here it is. Can’t quite remember the formula for finding the hypotenuse? It’s right here, too. A great resource and a highly usable app.
Details: $0.99, available on iOS.
A good app for algebra beginners, Ooops presents students with algebraic equations, and then asks them to choose which numbers to place parentheses around to make the equation equal to the solution. Students can change the location of parentheses and see how it affects the outcome of the problem. A great tool for teaching about order of operations and other basic foundations of algebra.
Details: Free, available on iOS.
Geometry is one of the most difficult subjects for students to comprehend. A graphic calculator is an incredibly useful tool, but it can cost a pretty penny. This app for your iPad or iPhone is an interactive graphing calculator that can be used in place of standard graph paper, as well as for calculating equations. With both 2D and 3D platforms, Quick Graph covers explicit and implicit equations, inequalities, multiple coordinate systems, wireframe, and much more.
Details: Free, available on iOS.
_Looking for additional help? Use Noodle to find math tutoring near you. You can browse tutors by subject, including tutors in Algebra 1, Algebra 2, and Calculus._